Winter storms knock out power to some Mississippi residents

Entergy responds to power outages

Published 12:43 PM CST Jan 17, 2013

JACKSON, Miss. -

The snowy weather Thursday morning made it hard for some workers who had to be out in the snow.

Entergy crews moved fast in the wintry conditions when the snow knocked out power to more than 1,000 customers. Hinds County was hardest hit. Some neighborhoods near Old Canton Road woke up in the dark.

"A large snow-laden limb came down on the power line and caused problems there. We were able to restore power very quickly," said Entergy spokeswoman Mara Hartmann.

Entergy officials said they were prepared for rough weather. With a week of ice in the Delta, the company had extra crews ready to go.

"We had sent about 275 up to the Delta. They were contract workers, some of our won workers; and then we thought it would get even worse, so we brought in another 125 of our own people from Entergy Texas and some additional line crews," Hartmann said.

American Medical Response officials said they saw a spike in emergency calls overnight.

"Before sunrise, we had a few more fender benders than we usually have. After the sun came up and the snow began to taper off, the call volume was actually lower than what we usually had," said AMR spokesman Jim Pollard.

Although most of the snow melted by mid-morning, ambulance crews said they will remain ready when temperatures drop below freezing overnight.

"We have the chains. Ambulances get stuck and have crashes as well, so that's one of the reasons to stay home if you can," Pollard said.

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